While I think that the average vegan lifestyle is healthier than the average non-vegan lifestyle, I'd expect that effect to go down over time.
If someone went vegan 30 years ago, it required quite some dedication and knowledge about food. A diet back then usually included mostly natural, basic and healthy ingredients.
With veganism becoming more mainstream, many people won't have that deep knowledge. Furthermore, the industry jumped on the train and there's plenty of vegan junk food now. Vegan processed food is typically still healthier than processed meat, but I guess it's pretty obvious that industrial vegan burgers, ready-to-eat coleslaw and vegan ice cream aren't ideal nutrition either. It's good that these options exist as they allow veganism to grow further. But they also make that lifestyle less healthy on average than it used to be.
For me personally veganism isn't about having super strong health benefits for the individual vegan. It's important to highlight that it's definitely not unhealthier compared to a similar omnivore diet. But other than that, I think other aspects are way more important.
And also animal harm aside, veganism can solve many egoistic problems for the the human species:
- I see veganism as the #1 low hanging fruit to combat climate change
- Less famines
- Less natural desasters
- Less uncoordinated migration waves
- It can massively improve the health and beauty of the planet (less deforestation, less fields, more wilderness)
- Significantly reducing the risk of pandemics
- Reducing the application of anti-biotics (leading to less resistent germs)
- Improving working conditions (jobs in the meat industry are mostly horrible) [...]